Under Armour All-America Lacrosse Classic: 10 Who Impressed

137 combined shots. 52 combined goals. Offense dominated in every way in this year’s rendition of the Under Armour All-America Lacrosse Classic. The South beat the North 28-24, but this game is all about eyeballing the freshman talent that will hit the campus of your favorite college this fall. From Saturday’s game, here’s Inside Lacrosse’s Top Who Impressed.

Under Armour All-America Game: 10 Who Impressed

Matt Rambo, A, La Salle College (Pa.)/Maryland Stats: 8G So yeah, that’s a heck of a way to finish up your high school career. With no defensive slide packages to worry about, Rambo let loose, smashing the Under Armour All-American goals record with eight scores on 10 shots, including four consecutive goals in the fourth quarter. Obviously, he won the game’s MVP award. He’s a gunslinger, able to pull his shot out of nowhere and bury goals thanks to his body positioning and elusive stick skills. He’s at a distinctive advantage attacking from uptop. Also interesting, thanks to his strong, stocky physique and incredible lefthand, he plays almost like a Canadian. He’s a special player who will hopefully continue to blossom with the Terps this fall.

Zach Miller, M, Hill Academy (Ont.)/Denver Stats: 5G, 1A, 10-16 F/O Miller’s versatile skill set made him an asset for the North, scoring a team-high five goals along with one assist in the losing effort. He can play attack like a nifty dodger/shooter, he can run full field middie and he can take face-offs (one of the North’s more successful players in that category tonight). I’m sure Denver offensive coordinator Matt Brown can’t wait to get him on campus.

Stephen Kelly, M, Calvert Hall (Md.)/UNC Stats: 1G, 2A, 18GB, 24-38 F/O Kelly’s versatility was on display in the evening’s contest. He kept winning one-v-one face-off matchups, helping drive the South’s dramatic 10-goal second quarter. He can shoot if he’s open (1G), hit his feed or otherwise help set up the offense.

Wilkins Dismuke, A, Canyon Creek (Colo.)/Johns Hopkins Stats: 4G Dismuke continues to be an fascinating player to analyze. He doesn’t do anything that blows your mind — his natural athleticism and scoring ability jump out — but he continuously showcases an ability to analyze an opportunity quickly and take advantage of the situation. You look down at the stat sheet and he suddenly has a hattrick. Fun asset to add to your offense.

Zach Currier, M, Culver Academy (Ind.)/Princeton Stats: 2G, 2A, 5-15 F/O He’s a big, bad midfielder. That’s the best way to describe this Canadian (by way of Indiana) midfielder. He’s physical, he pushes through to create his shot, he can snag groundballs, he helps set others up and he can run back on defense. He continued to showcase skills that will be very complimentary to Princeton’s current midfield lineup.

Tim Rotanz, A, Shoreham-Wading River (N.Y.)/Maryland Stats: 4G, 1A Rotanz is a shifty player who moved deftly around the five-yard goal radius. Three of his four goals were assisted, speaking well to his off-ball movement. Rambo, fellow North teammate Connor Cannizzaro (1G, 2A) and South attackman Colin Heacock (1G) will be together on the same offense. That’s a frightening prospect for NCAA defenses.

Jordan Evans, M, Jamesville DeWitt (N.Y.)/Syracuse Stats: 3G Evans put up a quiet hat trick in Saturday’s game, stringing together all three of his scores in the fourth quarter. Again, here was another good off-ball player, with two of his three goals built on assists from other players. He’s also a player who thrives above GLE, so a move to the midfield once he’s at Syracuse shouldn’t be a surprise.

Nick Mazza, M, Calverton School (Md.)/Penn State Stats: 3G Mazza’s hattrick highlighted a fantastic night for Penn State midfield shooters. Fellow Nittany Lion recruits Nick Aponte (West Islip, N.Y.) and Michael Sutton (St. Augustine, N.J.) combined for five goals (three for Aponte, two for Sutton). Nittany Lions dropped bombs all over but added their own unique wrinkle. Mazza’s lefty shot on the run was impressive, sa was Aponte’s righty shot on the run. Sutton hit daggers on two time and room shots.

Dan Morris, G, Dallas Jesuit (Texas)/Maryland Stats: 8 Saves So, yeah, not a particularly good night for the goalies, though it would be tough for any defense to have to go against these offensives without much film/game plan/defensive chemistry etc. You could see the essence of each goalie’s game — Parker Ferrigan’s explosiveness, Danny Fowler’s athleticism, Matt Barrett’s ability to lock down between the pipes. Morris, though, fared best, again showcasing a game reminiscent of his future teammate Niko Amato.

Austin Pifani, D, Abington (Pa.)/North Carolina Stats: 1G, 4GB Most of the UA AA defensemen are projected to be LSMs in college, so it wasn’t much of s surprise to see them 1) struggle a bit on close defense and 2) look to push the ball upfield and shoot on cage. Pifani and future teammate Jack Lambert (John Jay-Cross River, N.Y.) scored goals while pushing the ball upfield. North defenseman Matt Ryan (Phillips Exeter, N.H.) also added two assists.